Lost to Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade
Olympiacos suffered a defeat in Belgrade to Crvena Zvezda, 91–80 and saw its record drop to 8–5 after 13 EuroLeague rounds.
Despite Sasha Vezenkov’s 29 points, Olympiacos could not maintain the lead held until the start of the fourth quarter, nor could it leave the red-and-white Belgrade Arena with the win. The team now turns its attention to the upcoming home game against Fenerbahce.
Giorgos Bartzokas started the game in Belgrade with Walkup, Dorsey, Ward, Vezenkov, and Milutinov. Crvena Zvezda however made a better start, scoring the first five points.
Evan Fournier replaced Tyson Ward before the first five minutes were completed and quickly made his presence felt, hitting a 3-pointer to make it 12–8, cutting the margin for Olympiacos.
Motiejunas and Nwora made things difficult for the ‘red & whites’, but Fournier at first and Vezenkov with Dorsey later on, responded in the second quarter for Olympiacos. For Crvena Zvezda, Semi Ojeleye stood out at the same time, playing mainly as a “5” and causing several problems. As a result, Olympiacos went to the locker room ahead by one (38–37).
In the second half, Sasha Vezenkov started “on fire,” and Olympiacos took a 9-point lead (48–57) five minutes before the end of the third quarter. During this stretch, the Bulgarian forward scored 10 points with three straight 3-pointers, and combined with Dorsey’s spark and strong defense, Olympiacos played its best basketball of the night.
Crvena Zvezda naturally responded, and with Ojeleye as the key figure, the Serbians cut the margin to six points (59–65) by the end of the third quarter.
In the final 10 minutes, Crvena Zvezda opened with an 8–0 run, forcing Giorgos Bartzokas to call a timeout after only 77 seconds.
Olympiacos, however, could not intercept the Serbian’s streak at that point either. Devonte’ Graham hit two consecutive three-pointers to make the score 72–65, extending the run to 13–0.
Olympiacos’ captain Kostas Papanikolaou and Tyler Dorsey succeeded in cutting the deficit to one point, reigniting the game.
In the final three minutes, Miller-McIntyre, who had been off target all game, stepped up for Crvena Zvezda and scored key points that secured the win for his team. Although Olympiacos defended very well for three quarters, it conceded 32 points in the final one and was subsequently defeated.
In the next round, Olympiacos hosts the European champion, Fenerbahce, at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
The quarters: 21–15, 37–38, 59–65, 91–80.
